Children rescued from hot car at Cumberland Mall; Snellville man charged
Children rescued from hot car at mall
Bodycam video shows the moments Cobb County officer rescued two children from a hot car at the Cumberland Mall.
COBB COUNTY, Ga. - Newly released bodycam footage shows the moments Cobb County police rescued two children they say were trapped inside a hot car at the Cumberland Mall.
The rescue happened at the mall on June 4. Police have charged a Snellville man with two counts of felony child cruelty in the case.
What we know:
Authorities say the incident started around 1 p.m. when a woman called 911 to report what she saw.
"I am standing outside of the Dick's at Cumberland Mall and there are two children in a car by themselves - small kids crying," the caller said. "The windows are cracked, but I don't think that's right. We just came out of Dick's and I heard kids crying."
The caller described the kids as a "little boy and little girl."
A still from the bodycamera footage of the rescue. (Cobb County Police Department)
The responding officers quickly broke the car's front window and opened the door, letting the children out.
"It's OK," the officer told the boy. "Oh, you're hot."
An infrared thermometer used by law enforcement showed the temperature inside the car reached up to 117 degrees, officials said.
Dig deeper:
About half an hour after the rescue, officers arrested J’quawn Dixon and charged him with second-degree cruelty to children.
An arrest warrant states that Dixon "with criminal negligence caused a child under the age of 18 cruel or excessive physical or mental pain," by leaving the child inside a vehicle without air conditioning for 41 minutes."
J’quawn Dixon (Cobb County Sheriff's Office)
Dixon was taken into custody and booked into the Cobb County Jail. His bond was set at $10,000. He was released the next day.
What they're saying:
"A big THANK YOU to the concerned citizens who called 911. Your quick action is the reason these kids are safe today," the Cobb County Police Department wrote on Facebook. "You saw something and did something, and that made all the difference."